Art & Illustration

ARTSNACKS ACRYLIC MYSTERY BOX REVIEW

In my last review, we looked at one of the two of the Blind Date themed mystery boxes released by Artsnacks in February. This week’s review takes a look at the “Acrylic Soulmate” box and the awesome items inside. If you’re a painter or a mixed media artist you’ll want to see which ones are worth giving a whirl and which one didn’t leave me with much of an impact.

If you missed my previous review you can see it here, or navigate to the “Product Reviews” tab in the Blog Post Topic Menu.

PresentationArtsnacks has a pretty simple and standard presentation, but honestly, it works for me. I know that the money I’m paying for my subscription every month is going towards the high-quality art supplies, and shipping it to me. So far, I haven’t had any issues with damaged product or anything, which is great since it’s coming to me from the United States.

Once again, this looks like it may have been a previous month’s box based on the menu card. I believe this is the January 2017 box. As a still fairly new subscriber, I love getting a chance to see what has been in previous boxes. It’s worth noting, however, that some of the previous year’s boxes are available for purchase on the company’s website as well.Items in the Box

GOLDEN High Flow Acrylic Paint

Princeton Snap! Series Paint Brush

ZIG Art & Graphic Twin RB+F

KOH-I-NOOR Magnum Black Star HB Pencil

The Snack – Giant Lifesaver

GOLDEN High Flow Acrylic PaintGolden has long been considered the go-to in high-quality acrylic paint, so it was definitely a plus receiving these in the box. I’ve mostly only dabbled in the soft body and hard body product lines though so I was interested to try the high flow out. The selling feature with this line is that it’s fluid enough to be used like ink when wet, but acts like a normal acrylic paint when dry. That means it can be used with dip pens and in pump markers if needed. There are 49 colors available in this line, but it’s important to note that the 2 fluorescents I received are NOT lightfast and its states that on the outside label as well. It also takes a lot of layers to achieve full saturation of the color which can be a plus or minus depending on what you are using it for.

Princeton Snap! Series Paint BrushI was excited to see the Princeton Snap! series paintbrush in the box, mostly because I already own the exact same one and really like it. Much like finding that perfect fitting sweater, it’s nice to have two of something for when one of them wears out. Thankfully paint brushes don’t run on the same trend cycles as clothing, but admittedly I’m not always as careful with my brushes so it’s nice to have a backup. This #6 Bright Shader has synthetic hair and has a lot of versatility in the types of shapes you can create with it. I also love that for a somewhat inexpensive brush, it doesn’t lose hairs, which I’m sure is the pet peeve of most painters. I also am partial to the multicolors on the handle portion. It has nothing to do with the quality of the brush, it’s purely an aesthetic perk from my perspective.

ZIG Art & Graphic Twin RB+FFrom my limited experience with ZIG products thus far, I’m starting to see a great trend in the quality of their brush tip pens. This version gives you the 2-1 benefit, which is a plus if you’re maybe trying this product out for the first time. It’s also nice if you’re taking this without in a small travel sketch pouch. The dual tip gives you versatility while also being a space saver. The menu card mentions that this product is also water-based allowing for watercolor-like effects which is another added bonus.

KOH-I-NOOR Magnum Black Star HB PencilThis was perhaps the least impressive item in the box for me, but you can still tell that it is of good quality which in itself is still a plus. The oversized shape doesn’t do much for me, but I think if you were covering large areas this would be a bonus. The lead seems string and holds a point well while the hexagonal shape does allow for a comfortable grip. The other benefit to the shape is that it won’t roll away on you. Which from a behind-the-scenes photographing perspective is nice! The quality of the lead felt great too but other than that I didn’t feel like there was anything overly remarkable about this product in comparison to some of the others.

For my demonstration illustration, I used all of the provided products to create this peacock on Strathmore Mixed Media Paper. For a step-by-step look at how I created this illustration, check out the companion YouTube video below. I’ll see you all next time when I review the March box!